Wearing apparel supporter



April 9, 1935. E. B. FRENCH 1,997,403

- WEARING APPAREL SUPPORTER Filed Dec. 21, 1953 IN VEN TOR.

A TTORNESC Patented Apr. 9, 19 35 WEARING. APPAREL ,sorroarna V .1 'Earl BpFrench, Bridgeport, 001111., assignorto The Union Specialty Company; Bridgeport,

' Conn, a corporation of Connecticut Application December- 21, 1933, Serial No. 7032421 230mm. (01. 2 41-6) The present inventionrelates to improvements in wearing apparel supporters, andparticularly mens hosesupporters',although it will be underemployed in T stood that the inventionmay be supporters for other apparel than Inens hose. An object is to provide a supporter which will effectually support the hose, and'at the same time will be comfortable, will not slip out of its propersupporting position, and will not apply injurious or painful pressure on the leg. Itv is a further object to provide a supporter in which a pad-like structure is provided above the clasp which engages the wearers body in self-conforming relation to the contour of the body over a relatively large area.

provide a supporter which when not in usewill be in the form of a straight elastic band having parallel edges.

A further object is to provide a. supporter which is of very simple and inexpensive construction, will be attractive in appearance, and

will be long wearing. w

With the above and other objects inview an embodiment of the invention is shown in the accompanying drawing, and this. embodiment will be hereinafter more fully. described with.

. reference thereto, and the invention will be finally pointed out in the claims.

In' the drawing:-

Fig. l is an elevation of a garterembodying my invention, the same being shown in its flat position when not in use.

Fig. 2 is an edge view. Fig. 3 is a sectional view taken along the line 3-3 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 4 is an elevation of a portion of the webbing employed. Fig. 5 is a plan view of the clasp attaching member employed.

' Fig. 6 is a perspective view showing the garter in use. i Similar reference characters indicate corresponding parts throughout the several figures of the drawing.

Referring to the drawing, the wearing apparel supporter, according to the exemplary illustrated embodiment of the invention. shown therein, comprises a relatively wide band' |0rof longitudinally elastic Webbing provided'with: a

trally between the longitudinal edges, this slot in the usual size garter being approximately two inches long in the unstretched state. The slot is preferably woven into the webbing in whichcase 55 the reinforcing edge stitching I2 is also woven Another object is. to

they lie flat longitudinal slot ll disposed substantially cen-.

by-well known"methods. If desired, however, it maybecut in plain webbing, and the edge reinforced as by button-hole stitching. a

One end of the webbing is threaded through a loop memberlii and secured toa slide buckle 5 M, which is adapted to adjust the length of the webbing in the usual manner. At the other end a tab 1.5,of; leatheivor thelike, isfolded about the end and secured by stitching l6, and a button member I 7 forengagement by the loop mem- 1o ber.l3 issecured thereon, as by sewing I 8. A tab i9, which in its flat unattached relation is of substantially hour-glass'shape, asshown in Fig. 5, is inserted through the slot II and folded about the central portion of the lower edge, its 15 7 depending ends, which extend below the lower edgeof the webbing, being engaged about the upper endof a hose-attaching clasp 2D and being secured by marginal stitching 2!, which passes through the two sides of the tab l9 and through 20 the webbing. The stitching securing'the webbing follows thexupwardly converging edges of the tab, and in .the position of thegarter on the leg, with the' tab pulled down, thisstitching is substantially at a right angle tothe downwardly 25 drawn portions of the webbing, so that there is a direct straight line pull on these portions and upon the leg without bulges or wrinkles.

l The supporter according to my invention will 30 engage about the leg as a continuous band the upper portion above the slot I I remaining straight, while the lower portion is drawn down to form a pad which lies smoothly over a relatively large area of the leg, so that it does not 35.

out into the flesh. The upper straight portion it will be observed is not stretched to as great 7 an extent as the lower portion so that there is comparatively little tension about the leg, and as the pull of the. drawn down portions is trans- D mitted to the rear there willbe a comfortable and effectual support of the hose without any tendency to displace the garter either man up i and down direction or by twisting about the leg.

described a preferred 45 I have illustrated and and; satisfactory embodiment of the invention, but it will be obvious that changes may be made therein within the spirit and scope thereof, as

defined in the appended claims.

'Having thus described my invention, what I claim and desire to secure byLetters Patent is:- 1 Awearing apparel supporter comprising a flat strip of elastic material having a longitudinally extending slot forming a relatively narrow elastic upper strip portion above said slot longitudinally continuous with the remainder of said strip and a relatively narrow elastic lower strip .portion below said slot also longitudinally continuous with the remainder of said strip and normally of the same length as said upper strip portion, and a wearing apparel securing tab secured centrally to saidrlower strip portion and disposed at a substantial distance from the ends of'said slot and depending fromvthe lower edge of said portion and being free of said upper stripiportion whereby'downward pull on said tab elongates' I said lower strip portion at each side of said tab to form said upper and lower strip portions into substantially triangular form. 7

2. A wearing apparel supporter comprising a flat strip of elastic material having a longitudinally extending slot, forming a relatively narrow v elastic upper strip portion above said slot longitudinally continuous with the remainder'of said portion, and securing means extending through each side of said tab and through said strip portion; 1

3. A wearing apparel supporter comprising a flat strip of elastic material having a longitudinally extending slot, forming a relatively narrow elastic upper strip portionabove said slot longitudinally continuous with the remainder ofsaid strip and a relatively narrow elastic lower strip portion below said slot also longitudinally continuous with the remainder of said strip and normally of the same length as said upper strip portion, and a wearing apparel securing tab secured centrally to said lower'strip portion and disposed at a substantial distance from the ends'of said slot and depending from the lowerredge of said portion, and being -iree of said upper strip portion whereby downward pull on said tab elongates said lower strip portion at each side of said tab to form said upper andflower strip portions into substantially triangular form, the'upper edge of said tab being contiguous to said slot and the side edges between the slot and the lower edge of said strip portion being'inclined downwardly and outwardly and whereby said side edges are substantially at right angles to the longitudinal edges of the portions'of said lower strip portion at the respective sides of said tab in said downwardly pulled relation of said tab.

EARL B. FRENCH. 

